By Cassie Logan | @c4ssielogan

ARLINGTON, Texas - Mario Muniesa settled his breathing after breaking serve to take a 6-5 lead. This lead carried more weight than the matches before. It not only meant Muniesa was one service game away from a win, but that UT Arlington was merely moments away from its first Sun Belt Championship.

He bounced his tennis ball a couple of times at match point, tossed it in the air and swung with authority and a certain determination that arose with such an influential match on the line.

South Alabama's Olivier Gingras reached for the serve on his backhand side and blocked it just wide of the singles sideline. In that moment, everything changed. UTA, a fifth seed, had just upset No. 2 South Alabama 4-1 in the Sun Belt finals at the Pepsi Tennis Center in New Orleans.

The underdog had prevailed as the Mavericks conquered three top seeds to become conference champions. Muniesa dropped his racket and though he felt on top of the world, he was quickly demoted to the bottom of a team dog pile.

"It was amazing and a dream come true," Muniesa said.

The men held up a conference trophy for the first time since 2006, when UTA was a member of the Southland Conference. The Mavericks also set a new all-time wins record at 18-10 overall, silencing No. 4 Louisiana and No. 1 Georgia State on their path to the crown.

"Every championship is special," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said. "Winning a championship is extremely difficult regardless of the conditions and the opponent.

"This team is special and they have come together as a big family. They work very hard and everything they do, they do together. They were on a mission this past weekend to battle back."

UTA's battle to return to its winning ways stemmed from back-to-back losing seasons in 2013 and 2014. The Mavs were 7-14 in 2013 and improved slightly the following year to 8-13.

In 2015, the Mavericks put together a 12-7 overall record, ending with a loss in the first round of the conference tournament to South Alabama. The program was hinting at signs of life, but expectations and goals were still waiting to be met.

This 2016 group of Mavericks is defined by their work ethic and brotherly-like chemistry. Junior Daniel Armengol said the bond is a result of the backgrounds from Spain and South America.

"We are easygoing and get along really well," Armengol said. "When we play next to each other, you can see that we fight for each other."

Not only are the men are linked through their home countries, they formed a bond while training, a key factor in UTA's success this season. The Mavs were 11-1 at the UTA Tennis Center, and put together a season-high six-match winning streak after dropping the three straight matches to start the spring season in January.

The Mavs were in the best shape of the season heading into the league tournament, and Muniesa credits the coaching staff for pushing the team to its limit every day and mentally preparing the players to manage their emotions during matches.

"The coaches have guided us since Day 1," Muniesa said. "They have taught us all we know and how college works. They made us suffer with running and conditioning, but those things have prepared us for this kind of tournament and made us better. We trust them."

The Mavericks were tested during the regular season with seven nationally-ranked opponents and an eighth during the championship in No. 58 Georgia State.

UTA split its last 10 regular season matches, which included three consecutive losses against two top-10 teams and No. 27 SMU. Despite a 2-8 mark against the nation's best, the challenges armed the squad for tough meetings in the postseason, which now includes the NCAA Regionals.

"We've already played top-20 teams, so it helps to have that experience," Armengol said. "We know now that we're capable of playing with anybody."

The Mavericks now await the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket on Tuesday, but the team is keeping busy until then, training just as hard as they did for the Sun Belt Tournament. UTA will sharpen its doubles execution and maintain its conditioning regimen in preparation.

"We are looking to get a good team and give a good battle," Muniesa said. "We are going to try our best. We are not going as a guest or underdog, but we're going to try our best to get the win."